Playful, sculptural, unexpected: Illustrious designer and decorator John Dickinson created interiors, lighting fixtures, seating and other furnishings that were wholly peculiar and unlike anything seen before. The Berkeley, California, native mined design movements of bygone eras for elements he would later integrate into what would become his signature anthropomorphic work.
Dickinson was inspired by Art Deco designers such as Jean-Michel Frank, who similarly drew on the past for his extravagant pieces, and found appeal in the claw-foot tables and seating that Georgian-era furniture makers produced.
Although Dickinson attended the Parsons School of Design in New York, he returned to the West Coast following graduation. He worked for decorating firms and furniture stores, and, in 1956, he set up his own practice in San Francisco, where he reinterpreted heritage in his sculptural lamps, stools and chairs with legs that terminate in hooves or resemble bones and tree branches.
Dickinson’s spare but sophisticated furniture is often associated with a “golden age” of San Francisco decorating that includes the work of designers Charles Pfister and Michael Taylor. Wider recognition over the years owes to collectors’ interest and exhibits such as “Fantasy and Function: The Furniture of John Dickinson,” which opened at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art in 2003.
Despite his irreverent approach, Dickinson’s pieces were luxury items. He crafted lamps of unpolished brass and tables in chalky white plaster with a resin coating. His most iconic works are his Etruscan tables with legs resembling hooved animal feet and his Three-Legged African table, which was inspired by an artifact he discovered in an import shop. Dickinson took on only handpicked, young, well-to-do clients who were willing to give him free rein to experiment with these unusual forms and industrial materials. Leading department stores like Lord & Taylor, however, were also among his clientele. In 1977, Dickinson was commissioned to design a furniture collection for Macy’s. It featured white lacquered bookcases that drew on urban architecture and table lamps with bodies that mimicked animal bones.
Owing to his untimely death, and the fact that he worked in plaster, a highly breakable material, few of Dickinson’s original pieces exist to this day. Their scarcity renders every remaining Dickinson design a valuable heirloom guaranteed to make a statement in any room.
Find vintage John Dickinson furniture on 1stDibs.
John Dickinson Monumental Cabinet for the Historic Firehouse, San Francisco 1970
By John Dickinson
Located in Chicago, IL
John Dickinson Monumental cabinet for the Historic Firehouse, San Francisco 1970: The cabinet is made of oak and glass and comprised of two units; the top unit features two glass doo...
Glass, Oak
Industrial four-drawer cabinet from the 1970s
Located in Amsterdam, Noord Holland
Bring a touch of vintage industry to your interior with this robust 1970s cabinet. Made of iron and finished in a blue hue with authentic signs of wear, this piece exudes character a...
Iron
On Hold|$2,550
H 57.88 in W 23.75 in D 14.13 in
Swedish Rococo Tobacco Cabinet, Pine with Historic Paint, Circa 1720
Located in Mckinney, TX
Early Swedish Rococo tobacco cabinet with strong Baroque architectural influence, dating to the mid-18th century. Crafted in pine and retaining layered historic paint in iron red and...
Pine, Paint
John Dickinson Style Trompe L’oeil Cabinet
Located in Staffordshire, GB
Circa 1950 Trompe l’oeil cabinet decorative & beautifully hand painted in the style of John Dickinson. sku 1271 Measures: W63 x D37 x H75 cm.
Wood
Tito Agnoli Pecary Cabinet for Caleido Frau, 1970
By Tito Agnoli
Located in Conversano, IT
This refined bookcase cabinet was designed by Tito Agnoli for Caleido, a company belonging to the prestigious Gruppo Frau, in the 1970s. It is a rare piece of furniture, highly repre...
Animal Skin, Smoked Glass, Wood, Fruitwood
Vintage Cabinets by Guido Faleschini for Hermes, 1970s
By Guido Faleschini
Located in Leuven, Vlaams Gewest
Rare vintage cabinets designed by Guido Faleschini for Hermès. The cabinet offers plenty of storage space for coat hangers and has the characteristic leather and a metal ring handle...
Aluminum
Long Office Cabinet by Robert John
By Robert John
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Mid-century modern office storage sideboard by Robert John. Cabinet space, drawer storage, set on metal legs. Please confirm location.
Aluminum
Pair Monumental English Oak Haberdashery Cabinets
Located in Staffordshire, GB
circa 1900 Pair monumental English oak haberdashery cabinets (can be split into two sections or pushed together) sku 1275 Price for the pair We c...
Oak
John Widdicomb Bonnet Top Cabinet
By John Widdicomb
Located in North Canton, OH
Very Rare John Widdicomb Bonnet top cabinet with glass shelving. Beautiful hand painted details, intricate brass grating and hand carvings. Original...
Paint
Monumental Antique Industrial Steel Cabinet
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Monumental riveted sheet steel cabinet with hinged doors, integral shelving, and original industrial paint. Constructed entirely of metal, the cabinet features surface-mounted strap ...
Steel
San Sebastiano Cabinet by Sergio Fiorentino
By Sergio Fiorentino
Located in Milan, IT
Brass cabinet with bronze and Noto stone saint statue. Pulling each arrow, a symbol of martyrdom, can open part of the body and the various cabinet doors. Please, contact the Concier...
Brass
$48,000
H 68.5 in W 71 in D 23 in
Monumental Charlotte Perriand Pine Cabinet Staircase for Les Arcs, 1960s
By Charlotte Perriand
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Extremely rare pine staircase designed by Charlotte Perriand for the Les Arcs Ski Resort in France. Just over 6 feet tall with 8 steps. Steps can be walked on all the way to the top and are structurally sound. Presently, only two of these staircases are for sale in the world and we are happy to have them both at our showroom. Perfect patina to the Pine and a very well preserved white particle board body and a colorful particle board back. Beautiful wide pine handrail that gives these steps their iconic appearance. This staircase has 4 separate cabinets in different heights. Each cabinet door has a Pine knob. The first cabinet is a smaller cubby, the middle 2 cabinets are separated by shelves and were likely for linens and wool blankets while the last cabinet opens up to reveal ample storage with a small clothing rack...
Pine, Wood
$7,200Sale Price / set|37% Off
H 76.5 in W 32.75 in D 23.75 in
Pair of Monumental Post-Modern Obelisk Cabinets
Located in Palm Springs, CA
A truly unique pair of Post-Modernist cabinets in the form of a faux porphyry obelisk or pyramid on four gilded balls, resting on a black plinth base. Each cabinet contains four draw...
Laminate, Wood